St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-08-20
BOODLERS IN CHICAGO
Another Gang of Corruption
lists About to Be Brought
to Justice.
This Time the Members of the
City Council Are Under
Suspicion.
Crawford, the Washington
Naval Officer, Convicted
of Seduction.
The "White Caps" Raising
Great Trouble in South
ern Indiana Counties.

CHICAGO, Aug. 19.-The announce
ment this morning that Henry Sheridan
is mysteriOusly missing, is believed to
be the first of series of sensational de-
movements in connection with coming
wholesale prosecution of bribe-taking
members of the Chicago board of alder
men. Sheridan was the private secre-
tary and confidential man of Dwight K.
Tripp, eX-general manager of the Chi
cagO Sectional Underground Electric
company, a concern which secured, at
practically no expense, virtual
monopoly of the underground wire con-
duit right through all the streets OF this
city, franchise enormously valuable,
and now vested in still greater mo-
nopOly, the SO-called gas trust. Sheri-
dams disappearance is understood to be
the outcome of work begun several
months ago, when the Citizens aSSOcia-
ton employed number of lawyers and
detectives to search for definite evil
dence against the council ring that had
SO long and so braZenly used official pO-
sitiOnS for private profit. A great mass
of evidence has been collected, and one
of the first witnesses to be called before
the grand jury was Sheridan, He has
not been seen since Wednesday, and
report has it that he is
BEING SECRETED
by the authorities to be produced when
wanted. Sheridan was entrusted with
many delicate missions, and knew almost
as much as his employer. Tripp, about the
deals and schemes by which the electric
company secured its monopoly. Tripp
himself was fine worker of more than
ordinary ability. and is said to have
acted as agent at the state capitol for
the notorious alien landlord, Scuily,
VINO was recently legislated against.
TTipp is now in England endeavOring
to float among British capitalists a gi-
gantic land and mining scheme from
Arizona. When Trip left on this
mission, Shridan lost his position, and
being improvident, somewhat dis
Sipated, and talkative when in
liquor, has recently fallen into
the hands of the Citizens association
emiSsarieS. Among other things Sheri-
dan gave the startling information that
S200,O00 of the stock of the company was
distributed to members of the city coun-
ell to secure the passage CT the fran
chise. There is bare possibility that
Sheridan is not in custody but has eS-
capped the country. Even should this
prove true. the Citizens association has
the entering wedge. Other deals are
under inveSti CATION. 1t is asserted pos
itively that pay dirt has been struck
in the street car franchises obtained by
Charles Il. 1erkes, and that inquiries in
his direction are being prosecuted with
vigOr. 1t is regarded as not little
singular that just
AT THIS INTERESTING EPOCH
in our official history so many promi-
nent persons who must certainly have
cOgniZance of the transactions men
tened have taken leave of absence, and
that some of them propose to remain
away probably until the limitation with
i'll which any investigation can only eX-
tend expires. Some have gone and
more are preparing to go. 1t is not to
neighbOr Canada this time. but to dis
tant European ports. Attention is called
to the peculiar fact that W. j. McGari-
gle, the missing convicted boodler. was
at one time secretary of this very Elec-
tric Underground company. There is
no doubt that Mr. Tripp went to Europe
mainly because he became impressed
with the way in which the McGarigle and
other Doodle eases were being pressed,
and knew that Sheridan might Squeal
at any tine on him and on the alder
men he is accused of having bribed. 1t
is known that it is Tripp's intention to
remain Oh the other side of the water
until such time as the statute of limita-
tions permits him to return. Besides
Sheridan, it is stated that man named
Fuller. whom Tripp seems to have
tricked out of stock, is also ready to go
on the stand and give evidence in the
case. and it is stated that it was through
him the information regarding this
matter became public. Tripp had no
gO-between. He dealt directly with the
aldermen, but how much he gave each
one he and they only know. One thing
is certain. Aldermen generally sup
posed to be above suspicion are un-
dOubtedly implicated and were bribed
either with cash or blocks of stock.